Is this the secret to getting a good night’s sleep?

March 19, 2026 — 5:30pm

You have reached your maximum number of saved items.

Remove items from your saved list to add more.

Save this article for later

Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime.

I wish people would stop emphasising the necessity of getting a good night’s sleep. These constant warnings are preventing me getting a good night’s sleep.

I lie there, making calculations. It’s now 11pm. I’ll wake at 6am, whether I like it or not, roused by Sydney’s traditional alarm clock: the roar of planes overhead, gunning themselves to land as soon as the airport curfew ends. So that’s seven hours’ sleep, bang on the minimum, which is fine providing I go to sleep right away.

But all that counting has revved up my brain and it’s now 11.10pm, which means – the maths is becoming more complex – I will have only six hours and 50 minutes sleep, and that’s nowhere near enough. And now another five minutes have passed, most of it spent making that calculation about the six hours and 50 minutes. Then another five minutes, worrying about the previous five minutes and why I’m so bad at maths.

Soon it will be only six hours’ sleep, and I’ve read about the dire impact of just six hours’ sleep. If you only have six hours’ sleep you develop cognitive decline, mood disturbances and a weakened immune system.........

© Brisbane Times